Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Episode 18- "Life Is Short, Fall In Love!" Discussion
 

Vroom questions Kaito on the mysterious subject of love.

Well that was interesting way of defeating this episode's MoTW...

I wonder if that happens every time the Jetman Gear is used, or if it was just for this episode.

That is the most out there use of a Sentai Gear I've seen (so far), I was pretty much :lol through the whole thing.

So, Jetman's gear recreates Jetman's ending. It's...It's beautiful :lol

Best best best best show in the whole world and in any world. Holy cow every second of every scene in the whole episode was amazing but the Jetman gear had me absolutely dying and the mecha 'fight' is by far the most amazing first instance of teamwork between all the mechs it could have been.

Very much in love with this show.

I guess if I had one kinda-barely-a-nitpick, is regarding the big joke of the gear. This is the biggest example yet of where I feel like something relies quite a bit on some knowledge of a different show. Like, you don't need to know anything about Battle Fever J or Dekarager to think its funny when the characters start dancing, or when they slap some handcuffs on Zox to stop him. Here though, that whole extended scene would probably only be half as funny if you didn't know exactly what its doing.

That said, i've not even actually watched Jetman outside a few episodes, but I know about that part of it, and from the moment Romance World appeared with those roses, I just couldn't stop laughing like crazy until the end.

Got ya. Took me a while to recognize it before I showed it to my cousin who knew more about this. :lol But it was good stuff.

Also, I'm guessing once the Kaisers get their upgrades, that they start getting more action with the generals, right? It's getting odd seeing the MOTWs headswaps lol

I'm guess a lot of slash fiction is going to come out from this episode.

That Jetman segment was so iconic. I knew they would do some sort of tribute to it, but I didn't realize they would homage it in wholesale. That was wild.

I kid you not when I was watching live and knew this, I was thinking, "whose the one getting stapped"

https://i.imgur.com/WqgIivk.png

Who even ARE the absolute legends putting this show together every week!? It straight up should not be possible to maintain this level of quality with this kind of consistency. It's not like every week is some utter masterpiece, to be fair, but on the same token, the episodes that aren't mostly look that way because they have to stand against an ever-increasing pool of episodes that are, and you'll never guess which one I thought this week's was!

I think what's really funny about me be so enamored with this one is that I was ready to not enjoy it that much? Love truly does work in mysterious ways!

It's just... man, I don't even remember anymore. I guess I sort of expected a premise like this to end up being a one-note gag, but if that's what I was thinking, I must have somehow forgotten this is Zenkaiger we're talking about – the show where being as extra as possible at all times is so central it's literally Kaito's catchphrase.

This episode was a riot, even by Zenkaiger's standards. It just totally demolishes those pessimistic expectations I had by having a surprisingly thorough narrative where the entire cast acts out basically every single archetypal romance you can imagine all at once, a chaotic mishmash of heightened emotions that ends the only way it possibly could: paying tribute to the Sentai show that knows that manner of melodrama better than any other.

It's seriously insane. I struggle to even analyze the plot in any specific or detailed manner, because I'm sitting here being way too impressed with how Zenkaiger managed to pull this all off so well. It feels to me like a plot that could only work this well because it's Zenkaiger, with all the sharp writing, frantic overlapping dialogue, and thorough direction that implies. It's downright masterful how this episode can create whatever specific tone and atmosphere it wants to parody at a given moment, and how it knows the exact right timing for the plot to zig and zag in a way that keeps it hilarious. I mean, just look at how Kaito falling in love with that sundae plays out. The way Yatsude is just flattered he likes it so much too, that's such a beautiful cherry on top of that joke, if you'll pardon the figure of speech.

Watching this really reaffirmed for me everything I believe makes Zenkaiger's style so commendable. It's an episode I'd point to when trying to define it even, because it's so rapid, so hyperactive, so madcap, and so silly, in a way that simply does not work if the people making it are not as talented and confident in their vision as they are. Koumura's writing each week; Yamaguchi's direction here, and that of all the other directors elsewhere; the actors who have to do and say all the things they're made to do and say – they're all taking what could've easily been an obnoxious nightmare of sensory overload, and making it into a deceptively focused series that's shaping up to be something truly special, if it isn't already. I know being this effusive is maybe overdoing it, but this episode ended up being a testament to why I love this show so much, and I just can't help but shower it with all the full power praise I feel it deserves.

Wow, just... insane. I think it have to do with Shirakura producing Jetman, so he intentionally incorporate that scene into this episode.

This episode in a nutshell:

Toei: "You want more 'ships? We'll give you the 'ships!"

I haevn't seen Zenkaiger but when I heard about the Jetman scene on Reddit and I knew I had to watch it. So I did. They really did poor Gai dirty lol.

Recreating the ending of Jetman was hilarious. Can't belive they went there.

Although I have to say when they teased Kaito and his grandma it kinda grossed me out. I know they were going for comedy that Kaito would actually fall in love with a sundae but incestous scenes just really grosses me out. I don't know, it's just me maybe.

I loved this episode. Zenkaiger is unhinged for deciding to just say "We're doing a shot for shot recreation of Jetman's ending to defeat the love monster". I also appreciate Love World trying to get the Harem ending only to fail because he tried to speedrun it.

Zenkaiger is art.

That is all.

They didn't just go there. They full power went there. Like off the cliff into the deep dive.

Wow. This season has really reached the number two spot in my favorite Sentai series list.

Only thing left to say on it is "Easy there, this is a kids' show!" LOLZ

Dang it, I've been trying not to go ship-crazy in toku since I know romance doesn't usually play a big role (and I get the sense no one here wants to hear me ramble about ships), but some moments in this episode were legitimately really cute! The background scene of Juran polishing Gaon's cable-braids especially, that was adorable.

Also, I don't know if the writers intended it to be read this way, but I choose to believe Romance World's power had no effect on Stacey seeing Yatsude because he already loves her in a familial way. (Also they're way too old/young for each other so I'm glad that didn't happen.)

My favorite episode of the show so far and you can probably guess my favorite scene. :lol

They took Jetman's iconic bittersweet finale and turned it in to Zenkaiger's most ambitious joke and it's pretty much wasted on the primary demographic. Even without context though, it's still a laugh a second. Seriously, Komura is a crazy genius writer and I'm henceforth proclaiming her the Inoue of Super Sentai. The image of Gai's heroic sacrifice being projected on Renai Wald to defeat him, just wow, that's how you honor the coolest bad*ss Ranger in history. There's even a crossdressing Gaon and Twokaizer playing Ako and the mugged bystander. As a big Jetman fan, I loved all of this so much. It's crazy in the most awesome way. Jetman Gear is the best Gear!

Other than that, there's still a lot to appreciate about this episode. Right from Vroon's bio, you remember how it said he's "a dandy guy who falls in love easily" and my curiosity engine has been in overdrive to see how that would be executed. He is after all, my favorite Zenkaiger tied with Juran, so I definitely want him to find love. Integrating his love of learning with his learning of love, he gets to experience that and how it comes with a lot of euphoria and excitement, followed by a lot of pain and heartbreak. Vroon and Zox are actually the only Zenkaigers whose love persists after the spell is broken. Zox's love is sadly unrequited by Melodia, but Vroon's relationship with Karen (I've heard of Karin, but Karen? Is that really a Japanese name?) is left open-ended. I ship them. I think that's a good ship and I want Vroon to be happy.

Stacey notices something about the picture of Kaito's parents. Could my theory be true? I guess we'll just have to keep watching to find out!

Kokoro wa tamago chiisana tamago
Ashita made atatamerya
Tori ni mo nareru kumo ni mo nareru
Moshika ano ko ga suki naraba!

"They're Twitterpatered... And Spring is supposed to be over..."

I think I strained something while watching this episode from laughing too much. I love everything about this episode, from the outrageous relationships with even Secchan shouting "This is supposed to be a kids' show," the Jetman gear (Which people say is from the finale. Dang, I need to watch more Sentai. Though the Kikainoids look good in anything, and Zenkaiser sporting that tuxedo) to the giant fight at the end. This is one of the greatest shows I have ever watched.

Once again, love the roll call, especially Kaito bringing the melted sundae and Meloria holding Secchan, and Vroon shrugging off all of the attacks, Heartbreak Sentai would be a hilarious parody.

And it's not all laughs since we have Gege acting less of his usual self, and that scene of Stacey at the end seeing Kaito's parents, could they be related?

Next Week: Bug catching and Dino Drills.

I just got around to this, and I'm mixed on it.

It was definitely funny in a lot of ways, but saying "Easy there. This is a kids show!" was kind of a turnoff, and not because they were breaking the fourth wall!

I'm glad they had Kaito fall in love with the sundae, cause these mismatched love pairings are not only funny, they have precedence. Remember Zyuranger 23?

Using the Jetman finale like that was shocking in a way, but good shocking with how they played it. Glad Vroom didn't pull out a literal knife, and it was a good touch with how Romance World was trying to smoke a rose before blowing up!

Wasn't all that moved with how they slashed Giant Romance World in an off-camera manner. Did Juran make another Jetman reference when he asked for Hot Milk?

Shockingly, I've seen comments (not here, mind you) from some who just want to forget this episode ever happened. I'm not totally on board with that idea. The Jetman thing alone makes this forever memorable!